mrgold35

Pretty much what I'm seeing on my RLX if I can keep my speed down in the 70 mph max range. Noticeably better than my MDX sport hybrid that gets 23-25 mpg on the same speeds/routes. My mpgs can vary more at 75-85 mph for both vehicles; but, still 5-10 mpg above my 08 RDX or 11 MDX (only 18-21 mpg at 70-80 mph). I love having equal range in city or hwy driving with both hybrids along with the extra hp/tq.

neuronbob

Enjoying a stably running Grom VLine…a little bit of Wu-Tang at night…

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

That ain't nothin ta fuck with...

neuronbob

When you walk out to this car after a 12-hour workday…still enjoying this car after almost six months. No problems, no muss, no fuss, just smooth, quiet motoring.

technocrat

So I noticed, the RLX doesnt seem to have Windshield heater even in the top end compared to the MDX & TLX advance models which do have them, anybody from colder weather found it to be an inconvenience? I mean My 2011 MDX doesnt have it but I really found it useful in 2015 TLX elite?

mrgold35

I have the heated windshield on my 18 RLX hybrid (more of a heated wiper blade area). There isn't a separate button for the heated windshield like on my 19 MDX Adv hybrid. The button to activate the heated side mirrors and rear glass heat also does the heated windshield. The heated windshield also has an auto feature to turn on or off when temps are within a certain range (no heated windshield if windows fog up at +43 degrees). Not sure why Acura didn't make the heated windshield a separate button like in other models?

neuronbob

I’ve never had a windshield heater before and I live where it’s cold six months of the year. I’ve never been inconvenienced by the absence. I have a fabric windshield protector I put on at night to keep the windshield from freezing over. It’s also convenient when the weather is snowy in that all I have to do to clear the windshield is to pull the protector off.

Even so, I’ll enjoy having a windshield heater on this car.

technocrat

Aha so its there just that its not user tweakable, interesting, there is one listed in my state and it has non black interiors too which is so rare here, this is giving me sleepless nights, should I pull the trigger I dont "need" another car but I want it so badly LoL

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I don't see a white lab coat hanging in the the rear window, are you sure this is yours?

neuronbob

neuronbob

I’ve had my 2020 Sport Hybrid for six months as of a few days ago. Not much to report as the car’s had no issues. The car initially felt wider than I remember from my 2014, but I’m used to it now. My fuel economy is not as good as others report, as my office is only three miles from home (lots of short trips) and my cruising speed on the open highway is 75-80 mph. I use the extra boost the hybrid batteries give me.

I’ll be taking a 2500-mile round-trip road trip to/from Florida in three weeks, so I expect my fuel economy will be pretty decent on that very long trip. I take the car on the highway at least once a week to allow the engine to come to full operating temperature for an extended period; this also allows time for the hybrid battery to charge up.

It’s a better car than the 2014 I owned years ago, but the 2014 was not a bad car at all. For the money I spent, I am completely satisfied. At this time, I don’t feel a burning need to trade out for a TLX Type S. I’d be giving up too many features and those huge back seats. Maybe after my son goes off to college in 2 1/2 years. Some numbers for perspective:

Miles as of this posting: 12318
Miles I’ve driven (I’m second owner) 4118
Average MPG 23.4
Best MPG 25.8
Fillups: 13
$587.39 spent on fuel (93 only)
160 gallons burned
Fuel cost per mile: 15.6 cents
Service costs 0 (maintenance minder on 60%), has needed no service

Pics from today. And yes, that’s the NSX peeking out of the garage, and my CTS-V wagon is already covered for the winter

jdpdata

Looking good Dr. Bob. I just got my RLX back yesterday with new windshield and DynoFlex applied. Feeling like the first day I drove her home. Great car!

mrgold35

I just got my RLX back from repair from hail damage that happened at the end of May of this year. It only took a few weeks to repair; but, +4 months to get into the shop. Probably drive the RLX less for winter depending on the weather and temps. The RLX OEM tires are not as good as the Continentals on my 11 MDX or 19 MDX for cold or snowy days.

neuronbob

We had a significant first hard frost a couple of nights ago. So…just for fun…I timed defroster stuff. That’s a big deal where the weather turns cold on a regular basis.

The front windshield heater takes three minutes to start defrosting the lower windshield. In the video, you can see the (small) area covered by the heater.

The rear window defroster is really fast, though, as my rear window was cleared in 2:30. 👍🏽

Steering wheel warmer takes about 60 seconds to get to max heat. I drive with hands at 9 and 3, so I’m happy that area is covered.

And some windshield clearing ASMR on the video :lol: . (Yes, I use a spare funnel, it’s MUCH faster than an ice scraper)

rlx015

How much does the DynoFlex cost for the Windshield? We have a local shop that can install it, may give them a ring on Monday... I'd rather protect it than deal with "back-order" parts like a windshield and wait forever

mrgold35

There is also ExoShield PPF for front windshields. I have this installed on my 19 MDX Hybrid and 18 RLX Hybrid. We only get around 5-9 inches of precipitation per year in the southwest and I don't know how well windshield PPF will hold up in a place with way more rain. I got the PPF to see if it helps against stars, chips, and windshield road rash. My 11 MDX windshield with +150,000 miles looks like the night sky on a moonless night if the sun hits it at the right angle because of all the micro chip from sandy conditions out west. Prices depends on local installer and I paid around $200 (discounted price along with ceramic coating and PPF on paint). The Exoshield warranty is 2 years.

https://www.getexoshield.com/

jdpdata

My installer told me DynoFlex is better than Exosheild. Not sure why. They both look the same to me. I think DynoFlex is newer product and is TPU while Exosheild is PET. DynoFlex is more clear. Can't really see any distortion like I did with Exosheild. There's still a couple bubble on the film I'm waiting for it to completely cure. Hopefully it goes away. Installer wanted to charge me $700 to install DynoFlex, twice what he charged me for Exosheild! He said cost of all films gone up 35%. All BS really to upcharge is my guess. DynoFlex is supposedly much easier to install as no heating and shrinking is required. Seems like he should have charged me less because he's doing less work. He did discounted DynoFlex down to $450 since I'm a good customer. He PPF both our Acura.

If you drive alot dusty environment, windshield film will offer some protection against minor pitting. But if you're like me who car is a garage queen, I don't recommend it. It's expensive, doesn't really prevent windshield crack and the maintenance is a pain. I have to becareful with the pressure washer and never use the wipers as it will scratch the film. If my insurance didn't reimburse me for the film, I wouldn't have done it.

neuronbob

If the windshield protectors streak with use of the windshield wipers, they are useless to me. It rains every month of the year here in Cleveland, it's cold for seven months of the year, and we can have measurable snow any time from late October to mid-May. Sooo....I use my wipers most days of the year. Bummer.

jdpdata

I've use my wipers occasionally with Exosheild film I had before without any issues. My wipers are fairly new and I cleaned them with every car wash. If your wipers are dirty it will scratch the film leading to haziness. My installer said to not use wipers if at all possible. The film has oleophobic coating that will sheet off water at highway speed. That being said, if you live in wet climate and want to use your wipers often, don't do windshield film. It wouldn't last very long with your use case. Just throwing money away IMO.

mrgold35

My installer recommended waxing my Exoshield a few times with a good paste wax to help lubricate the wiper blades over the PPF. Probably wax it more if you use your wipers a few times a week (I can go months not using my wipers).

CadiGTi

Dr Bob
Curious as to what fuel milage your 2014 RDX averaged compared to your current RDX?
Thanks
Ed

andysinnh

So I have a question about this. I know in my '19 MDX Advance the defroster button for the front windshield heats an element near the wipers to keep that area clear of ice, and the front blower does the primary de-icing.

My understanding is that the front heated windshield on the RLX Sport Hybrid is actually an imbedded element within the entire windshield that starts to quickly defrost it, and then the blower does the same job as a normal car. Your picture shows what I'd expect to be the normal blower pattern near the bottom. I'd have expected in your photo to have a general de-icing of the window, at least to some extent, pretty quickly. The owners manual says it's activated by the same button that does the mirrors and the rear window defrost.

Am I missing something? (Yea, I live in NH and should know this, but the car is garaged all winter and I don't often get able to replicate an early morning frost condition :-) )

thx - andy

neuronbob

^^^^ you are correct. I’ll have to video the function correctly the next time we have a hard frost and have time.

In the meantime, we had our first significant snow of the season this weekend. The stock tires do decently in light snow and in slush. They are not snow tires, but since I live where the snow is plowed regularly and quickly, should be OK.

neuronbob

Here’s a sped up video of the windshield heater at work. The climate control is completely off, so there is no air blowing on the windshield from the cabin. Takes a bit less than three minutes.

Its pretty cool!

technocrat

Bob and others in areas which get snow, I would highly recommend getting a good pair of winter tires, while I was in US I never used it but started using them because of Insurance discount here. Trust me I kick myself for not having them before. Makes a noticeable difference and now I wont drive a car without them in winters. Even if you area gets cleaned these tires work better on wet surface than all seasons.

mrgold35

One little trick I do is wrap the brush end of my combo ice scrapper/snow sweeper in a microfiber towel if I need to remove any snow. I use a larger binder clip to hold it in place. I figure the micro fiber will not hurt the paint as much compared to the the snow brush.

technocrat

Wow not sure if you have watched this, but chrisfix had this exact same tip and somehow it showed up today for me.

mrgold35

We don't get a lot of snow in New Mexico and my vehicles are garage kept 100% of the time. Planning to take a road trip from New Mexico to Vancouver/Seattle, WA, around Xmas/New Year and I'm expecting a few snow days and I have to park outside. Already wrapped my snow scrapper in a microfiber ready to go in the hatch of my MDX.

technocrat

After waiting to come across a well priced and well specked RLX SH to come on used market I have decided to go with a 2016 Genesis V8, best time to enjoy these before the EVs take over lol. Good part is it takes both regular and premium fuel and the Canadian brochure even listed the power and torque numbers for regular and Premium fuel

rlx015

I am sure you test-drove RLX SH in the past before trying to find one and buy it ... Definitely keep us posted on how is Genesis holding up... I did notice at all times that Genesis prices are certainly much lower when comparing some other brands and similar models, but they apparently have a longer warranty... I am curious how it will serve you...

CadiGTi

A very good friend and car buddy has a 2015 Genesis V8. I have driven it a few times. Very impressive car. I love the torque of that V8. He has an aftermarket dual mode exhaust that makes that V8 sound spectacular both inside and outside of the car. It has been very reliable. Had the deals not been so great when I purchased my 2020 RLX in July 2020, the Genesis would have been a strong contender. And I think it is great looking car. I think I prefer the prior design over the most current. Good luck and enjoy!

technocrat

Thanks, I am guessing he is using electronic cutouts for the dual mode, i have heard a few on the internet and looks like it can be made to sound really good. Here is one such with an X-Pipe and cutouts

hondamore

Allow me to interject with an "old man rant"...

It seems to me that the exhaust mods discussed above completely negate the best part of driving a luxury car - that is, a smooth, QUIET ride. Why pay a huge price premium for a quiet luxury car only to turn it into and ear splitting monster? This is akin to removing the luxuriously soft, form-fitting, perforated leather seats and replacing them with plywood benches covered in itchy wool. Don't even get me started on negating your warranty just so your car sounds "cool".

Now, I'm not against the lovely sound of a screaming internal combustion engine, but I believe that is what sports cars are for. Sports car save weight by not adding all those sound absorbing materials and not using double-pane glass so the sound of the engine can be enjoyed to the fullest. Paying handsomely for all of those sound-blocking extras in a luxury car and then paying to negate your warranty with mods that make your car so loud that it is impossible to hear yourself think seems counterproductive at the least. A thundering sports car is a thing of beauty, a deafening luxury car is just an oxymoron.

Old man rant complete. Thank you for your time.

Edit: I'm not judging anyone for their particular tastes in cars and how people choose to spend their money is their own business. I was just sharing my two cents on the matter at hand.

mrgold35

It would have been nice to have the option of luxury or sport with the RLX like you can with other luxury brands (RS-line, GTS, M-badge, AMG, SVR, etc...). I would love to have the option of a sportier RLX hybrid that had electronic dampers, 4 IDS modes like other Acura's, sport tuned exhaust, big brake kit, sportier seats, and racing pedals. The best I can do is black out the chrome trim, de-badge, aftermarket rims, and tint for my lean towards sporty.

phile

that just shows the level of incompetence with Acura and how they produced and marketed this car. It’s a huge percentage of why it failed as a new purchase. Great buy as a used car due to it, as well. But as a new purchase, it simply was outmarketed by the competition. RLX and the Infiniti Q50 Redsport, both under the radar sedans. I was between the two when shopping the used Japanese big sedans. That 0-60 in 4.5seconds from the Infiniti is incredible but I could not stomach the design - both inside and out. I didn’t like all those swoopy lines and design elements found everywhere.

CadiGTi

his is not quite that aggressive. Has more of a refined Maserati sedan sound but aggressive enough to let you know there is nice V8 in there

technocrat

Yes the ride is really smooth and that torque puts a smile to the face, it really hauls ass. However its a shame that you cant hear that glorious V8 but as you said it negates the purpose of a luxury sedan and that's why I think the whole electronic cutouts make the most sense which allows the car to be stock when needed and wild when you open those cutouts.
Btw I got it for 28k CAD + taxes, its a 2016 with 69k kms(~43k miles), similar age RLX hybrids are all 35 plus with 2018+ in 40k plus range. Also very very rare in Canadian market so prices don't come down. Thanks to the current high fuel prices and my patience I was able to knock off 2k from the listed price for the Genesis

Here are the few pics, ignore the disrtyness, they cleaned it up nicely before delivery

technocrat

So after 3 days here is the quick view on the difference between two luxury brands

• The heated steering is better on the Acura(TLX), makes it nice and toasty compared to the Genesis which just gets warm(which is still better than cold steering lol)
• No tire air fill assist feature like in the TLX
• No pull to unlock with key on you, you need to press the outside button for locking and unlocking. Seems like most if not all other cars have sensor inside the door handle which Hyundai/Kia/Genesis just dont.
• No FCW although it does have Automatic emergency braking
• Infotainment UI is significantly better(720p resolution) - Comes with rewinding satellite radio on top of SXM
• Sound Quality - Although the Genesis is better on paper, so far in my limited usage did not find a huge difference from the TLX(MDX is loud and more bassey for sure). If my memory serves me right the details are little better but TLX I believe was probably louder but not 100% about this.
• Road Noise - Very quiet, similar to TLX may be a tad quieter considering 19 inch wheel and Panoramic roof. Significantly quieter than the MDX(which even the TLX was)
• In dash UI is also large and has a larger LCD display
• Free Map Updates via SD Card- Free downloads via website and download tool, transfer to SD card and then the system updates in about 20-25 minutes. What's unique is that the updates actually changed UI(made it better for the Maps) and introduced features which didn't exist when the car was launched (added something called sounds of nature among few other things)
• Integration with Siri works very well for voice button on steering.
• That V8 is quiet inside but hauls ass, puts a smile to the face every time
• The seats are supremely comfortable and has way more adjustability than I have seen in any Acura(see picture, even passenger seat gets 4 way lumbar)
• 

technocrat

Sorry if this may seem spamming, thought would share my experience as I was seriously considering buying an RLX SH may be my posts are more appropriate in this thread? 2021 Acura TLX vs The Competition ?

neuronbob

Been away for a bit. @technocrat , congrats on the G80. Gorgeous car.

Meanwhile, I've racked up 6k miles in my ownership of the RLX Sport Hybrid, which I've now dubbed "The Wrong Honda" . The name came about because I brought it to a couple of Cars and Coffee events here in Cleveland during the late fall, instead of one of my more "special" cars, and a young friend told me "you brought the wrong Honda"--he'd wanted to see my NSX .

Just a couple of comments about my car, which I really, REALLY enjoy driving. It is such a joy to drive.

I never ended up doing that Florida road trip in the RLX. I was outvoted by the family, and in particular my 15-year-old, who makes use of the 110 v outlet in the back seat of our Mommymobile Buick Enclave. We used that instead. It's too bad, too, as that car doesn't have adaptive ceruise control. Imagine actually having to pay attention when you drive! In any case, my RLX SH remains safely low-mileage.

This car is an absolute tank in Cleveland's winter weather. In the last month, we've had over 30 inches of snow in my neighborhood in the various snowstorms. The stock tires, with modest driving and with SH-AWD and traction control helping, do just fine. I can't even imagine how unstoppable this car would be on true winter tires. I didn't do it because I used the funds that would have purchased a new set of wheels/tires to fund another car instead.

I discovered remote start. Now I'm addicted to it. The signal has excellent interior penetration. My office islocated on the far side of an office building from where I park my RLX. I step out of the office, into the corridor, and press the magic sequence on the key fob...and by the time I reach my car, the steering wheel is warm, and the front and rear window defrosters have already defrosted most of the ice. The only thing missing is that the seat heater doesn't turn on automatically. PSA, set your mirrors so they don't fold/unfold on snowy days. I remembered to do this before the first bad winter storm we had in January. I don't want to overwork the little motors.

One pan of the heated steering wheel: I keep my hands at 9 and 3 on the steering wheel. Unfortunately, it's the upper and lower portions of the steering wheel that are the warmest, and the areas at 9 and 3 are less warm. I'll live...but it'd be nice to have the actual proper areas for hand placement properly warmed.

Fuel economy is abysmal, in part because of short distance driving and in part because of near abuse (LOL) of the remote start, and because Cleveland's winter blend fuel is also abysmal. Lowest tank mpg is 18.1! That would be financially painful but for the tiny tank the RLX SH is gifted with. My typical fill from the light coming on is around 12 gallons.




Here's what I spent the money meant for the RLX's winter setup on. 36k mile 2004 S2000 joined what I am now calling "The Accidental Car Collection" as I never meant to collect cars, it just happened. I bought it a month ago and it was delivered three weeks ago, just after a snowstorm. Good thing it came with all-season tires (which will be ditched when the weather warms up).